What Do Bee Balm Seeds Look Like? A Guide to Identifying and Harvesting Bee Balm Seeds

Bee balm (Monarda spp.) is a popular perennial wildflower known for its brightly colored, densely packed flower heads that attract pollinators. But what do bee balm seeds look like? Identifying and properly harvesting bee balm seeds ensures you can propagate this beautiful plant in your garden.

An Overview of Bee Balm Flowers and Seeds

Bee balm flowers are composed of tubular florets packed into rounded dome-shaped flower heads. The florets are usually scarlet red bright pink, or purple. When the flowers fade, the florets turn brown and dry, forming the seed heads.

Inside each tubular floret are tiny bee balm seeds. The seeds are very small, around 1/16 to 1/8 inches (1.5-3 mm) long and less than 1/32 inches (0.6-0.8 mm) wide. They are oblong and slightly flattened, with a rough surface texture.

Bee balm seeds are brown or black in color Their miniscule size and color makes them difficult to see against the brown backdrop of the faded flower head You’ll need to rely on touch as much as sight to identify them.

When and How to Harvest Bee Balm Seeds

Timing is important when collecting bee balm seeds. Monitor the plants carefully as the flowers fade. The seed heads should be harvested once the florets turn completely brown, but before the seeds start falling out. This is usually 2-3 weeks after peak flowering.

To test if the seeds are ready, gently bend a flower stalk. If seeds shake loose, it’s time to harvest. Act quickly – bee balm seeds detach easily from their pods and are soon lost to the ground or birds.

Use pruners to snip off the stalks just below the seed heads. Place them upright in paper bags or containers so any loose seeds fall in.

Let the seed heads further dry for about a week indoors. Then rub, crush, or shake them to separate out the seeds. Sift through a mesh strainer to remove chaff.

Appearance of Harvested Bee Balm Seeds

Once extracted from the pods, harvested bee balm seeds have a rough, mattte texture and oval, flattened shape. They are so small that it’s hard to discern their detailed surface features without magnification.

When viewed up close, the seed coat appears pitted and irregularly grooved. The seeds are broadest in the middle and taper slightly towards the ends.

Shaking the seed heads will yield mostly full, viable seeds along with some undeveloped seeds and debris. The empty seeds look like tiny black specks. They are hard to distinguish from the good seeds except that they are smaller and lighter in weight.

You can try rolling the seeds on a flat surface to separate the full ones, which will roll slower. Or put them in water – the empty seeds will float while the good ones sink. But don’t worry about weeding out every single undeveloped seed.

Storing Bee Balm Seeds

Fresh bee balm seeds have high viability but it decreases over time. Store them in a cool, dry place in either paper envelopes or sealed plastic bags. Under ideal storage conditions, bee balm seeds remain viable for 2-3 years.

Refrigerating the seeds or freezing them in an airtight container can extend viability for up to 4 years. However, frozen seeds need a few weeks to dry out again before sowing.

Sowing Bee Balm Seeds

Thanks to their small size, bee balm seeds only need to be scattered on the soil surface rather than buried. Light aids germination, so don’t cover them with soil.

Simply press the tiny seeds into the ground or sprinkle them over prepared, well-drained soil. Water gently to moisten the soil without washing the seeds away.

Key Takeaways on Bee Balm Seeds

• Bee balm seeds are very small, around 1/16-1/8 inches long and less than 1/32 inch wide. They are brown or black in color.

• Harvest seeds when flower heads turn completely brown, before seeds start dropping. Dry further indoors before extracting seeds.

• Extracted seeds feel rough and are oblong, flattened, and slightly tapered at the ends. Some undeveloped seeds and debris will be mixed in.

• Store seeds in a cool, dry place in envelopes or plastic bags. Under optimal conditions, they remain viable for 2-3 years.

• Scatter seeds on soil surface rather than burying them, and water gently. Light aids germination.

Now that you know what bee balm seeds look like and how to harvest and sow them, you can successfully propagate this colorful wildflower in your own garden!

To collect bee balm seeds, wait until the flowers have faded and the seed heads have turned brown and dried. Then, gently remove the seed heads, either by snapping them off or cutting them with scissors, and place them upside down in a container or paper bag to dry further.

Yes, bee balm (Monarda) is known to reseed itself, meaning it can spread and grow new plants from its own seeds.